Reiner Thilo Bindschädel

Reiner Thilo Bindschädel is the German bench maker who stamps his pipes with the "Reiner Thilo" signature, made up of his given and middle names. He works out of his workshop in the district of Kraichtal, in Baden-Württemberg; in one interview he is said to have been born in 1961.

He shapes every pipe as a single piece, without using serial molds. Because he does not use his surname in the brand name, he is referred to under both names in the literature, which occasionally leads to confusion in records.

From Craft to Pipes

Bindschädel's path runs through woodworking and metalworking. He first learned metalworking on the lathe, then turned to carpentry, earning his craftsman's certificate in furniture making; by accounts he obtained this certificate in 1993. His relationship with the pipe began in the 1990s through repair work, and over the years the repair bench gave way to production. By the records he put pipes bearing his own signature on the market from 2002 onward; his history in pipe making is therefore fairly young relative to the maturity of the work he produces.